The present invention is directed to an improved weight lifting safety device adapted for use in bench-pressing exercises and other types of exercises which involve the use of a weight lifting bar and various combinations of weights applied thereto.
Using the popular exercise of bench-pressing as the primary example, the exerciser or user is positioned prone on a bench which is elevated from the floor. The user supports with his or her hands a weight lifting bar extending transversely of the user, usually across the chest portion, with the bar normally supplied at opposite ends thereof with an equal amount of weight. Thus, in one of the most popular exercises, the user will press the bar and weights vertically upwardly above the user's chest into a position wherein the arms of the user are fully extended. The bar and weights are then lowered and raised in a continuing sequence.
As the aforementioned type of exercise frequently includes the use of heavy weights, often in excess of a total of 100 pounds, a risk of injury to the user exists. For example, during the course of exercising, perspiration can cause the bar to slip from the grasp of the user. Additionally, the user may ultimately exceed his or her total strength and be unable to support the bar and weights with the result that injury to the user can occur.
In order to protect the user from injury in the event of one or more of the aforesaid occurrences, various safety devices have been proposed and used. For example, weight bar stands are positioned along each side of the user free-standing on the floor with appropriate notches formed in the upper portions of the stands to receive the ends of the bar and support the bar and weights at a predetermined elevation. Such elevation or height is selected so as to support the bar and weights in spaced relation above the chest of the user thus not only permitting the user to slide in and out from under the bar but also to prevent the bar from being dropped on the user's chest. This most common type of safety device has disadvantages. The primary disadvantage is that the user must be careful to keep the bar aligned with the supports at all times during the exercising so that, in the event of losing control of the bar, the same will drop along a path which intercepts the support stands.
Other types of safety devices which overcome the aforementioned problem of continuous alignment include preassembled systems wherein support members are mounted directly on the bar and are raised and lowered with the bar by the user. In some instances the support members constitute the weights, which detracts form the versatility that is provided by a standard bar and weight set having removable and interchangable weights, thus either limiting the type of exercise available or at least complicating the procedure followed. In any instance, the existing type of integrated stand and weight lifting system lacks versatility, is often complicated to use and is expensive.
In a weight lifting safety device system wherein the weight supporting stands are attached in some suitable manner to the bar, if the bar and stands are to be rotatable relative to each other, a further problem exists which has not been effectively overcome by existing systems. For complete use of the weight lifting system, it is important to accommodate rapid exercise movements. When there is relative rotation as stated, the safety stands will not always remain in a vertical position so that, in the event that the user loses control over the weight lifting system, the stands may not squarely contact the floor to prevent injury to the user. Thus, the stands are subject to a pendulum effect which can create a serious problem.